Lessons of the Tsungi Horn
by lividlillies
Summary: Who knew a Tsungi Horn could be a catalyst for romance? Zuko learns a greater appreciation for the instrument his Uncle made him learn. Zutara ZukoxKatara


**Title:** Lessons of the Tsungi Horn  
**Rating: **F – For Fluff! (G)  
**Series:** Avatar: The Last Airbender  
**Pairing:** ZukoxKatara (Zutara)  
**Summary:** Who knew a Tsungi Horn could be a catalyst for romance? Zuko learns a greater appreciation for the instrument his Uncle made him learn.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Or the characters. I own my words, though!  
**Words: **1798

It had been quite a while since Zuko had first joined the motley group of Benders surrounding the Avatar. They were still at the Western Air Temple, they were still being chased by Fire Nation cronies and they were still nowhere close to restoring balance to the world.

Yet.

Amidst all this turmoil, it could be said that nothing could be accomplished. And, while that may have been true in other circumstances, the Avatar had different plans. 

"Zuko's going to teach me the Tsungi Horn!" he announced one day, much to the surprise of everyone around. 

"I thought he was teaching you Firebending?" asked Katara, idly cooking dinner. 

"Twinkle Toes must be getting _really_ bored. I mean, the Tsungi Horn? It doesn't even sound good! And where are you going to get one?" asked Toph, bathing her feet in the fountain (her burns had long since healed, but it had become a habit to soak her feet at least once a day). 

"If I may ask…" began Zuko, and the gang turned to look at him. "When did I agree to this?"

"Last night!"

"Last night?" the confusion on the Firebender's face was obvious. He hadn't spoken to Aang last night, at least not after their Firebending practice. "When?"

"Well, I went into your room—sorry about that—and I asked you! And you said you would as long as I left right away!" Aang seemed immensely pleased—as if he had just bargained an impossible Trade Route with the top Fire Nation Advisors.

It made Zuko feel a little queasy. 

"I… don't think that counts," said Sokka, piping in for the first time. "I mean, what if I went into Toph's room in the middle of the night and…"

"PLEASE don't finish that!" Katara said, her hand snapping up to indicate an abrupt stop. "I don't even want to know why you'd _consider_ going into Toph's bedroom in the middle of the night!"

"What? But she's teaching me to walk quietly… I was _just saying_, if I went into her room in the middle of the night—"

"I'd knock his bloody brains out for waking me up over something so stupid," Toph finished, taking her feet out from the fountain. "So, who's going into town to pick up a Tsungi Horn? I have a feeling he won't be stopped unless he gets that lesson."

Katara gave a quizzical look towards Toph, who merely gestured towards Aang and Zuko with her thumb. The young Avatar was hopping up and down and practically hanging off of the former Prince like a monkey, simply _begging_ for him to teach him.

Sighing, Katara stood up and passed the spoon to Sokka. "All you have to do is stir—don't mess it up."

Nodding, Sokka gave the spoon to Toph. 

"Zuko!" she shouted, and the two boys stopped harassing each other immediately. "I'll go with you to the Market, since you're the only one who knows what a Tsungi Horn looks like… _other than Aang_," she said, before he could interject and offer to go himself. 

Zuko simply nodded, wondering why two of them were necessary for the "mission". 

"Use Tunnel B," said Toph, who was now trying to stir the soup—with Sokka watching intently so that she didn't burn herself. "It'll lead you to a large rock. Make a sharp right from there and you'll get to the road. It should only take half an hour from there to get to the Town. If you leave now, you'll be there in time for lunch."

It was this moment that made Sokka wonder, 'Why didn't I go? I could have had take-out!'

It was exactly as Toph had said, and Katara and Zuko arrived at the small town just in time for a mid-day meal. "Should we get something to eat?" asked Zuko, looking at the vendors and restaurants.

Katara nodded, "It wouldn't hurt—we still have plenty of Toph's scam money left."

With this in mind, Katara happily chose a 3-star restaurant, such that she had never been to before.

"Are you sure we should…?"

"Aang and Sokka _hardly _have the manners to eat some place like this, and Toph would rather eat meat fresh off the stick than use cutlery. _You_, on the other hand, know how to eat here!" 

She discreetly didn't add, 'And you can teach me how to.'

"And… I've always wanted to eat someplace fancy…" blushing, she looked away. "I know that sounds rather… well, snobbish, but it's just out of curiosity, you know?"

Zuko nodded, understanding the feeling completely. How enamored had he been with the idea of living like a peasant for a day? Working and living in a tiny house with his Uncle, almost like they were normal… Shaking the feeling off, he gave her a small smile. "We should dress better, then."

After leaving reservations at the restaurant, Zuko and Katara went off to find "proper attire". 

Zuko quickly picked out appropriate clothing for himself, knowing that Katara would probably enjoy looking at all the different clothes and trying them on.

"What about this?" she asked, holding up a blue dress, somewhat similar to the one she was wearing—though, obviously, it wasn't meant for battle. 

Considering it for a moment, the Firebender shook his head. "You always wear blue," he admonished gently. "You should try different colors."

Katara blushed, and looked over the wide display of clothes. There certainly were plenty of other colors and patterns to choose from… but where do you start?

"Here," said Zuko, somewhat promptly. "Try this on." 

Katara only nodded dumbly and hurried into the stall. It was a green and yellow dress, with overlapping layers and, as she looked in the mirror… it was beautiful. But it suited Toph better, with her pale complexion. 

As she came out, Zuko nodded appreciatively, before shoving another outfit at her. This one was a cheery orange, and… definitely not her color. But there was something to be said about the way it wrapped around her, snug in all the right places. 

Katara had hardly left the changing stall before another outfit was shoved at her. It was more complicated than the others, and she had to ask a sales clerk for help, but… When she looked in the mirror, it was clearly worth however much they wanted for it. 

It was a red kimono with a black lining beneath, and black dragons trailed up the length of the outer robe, their languid poses showing their grace. The obi was a lighter shade of the eye-smarting red of the robe and it was tied with several cords—blue, green, and orange. 

"It's lovely!" she squealed, turning to and fro. The bottom opened slightly, revealing her finely shaped legs, perpetually tanned. 

Zuko was trying desperately to contain his blush—the kimono only served to make her even _more_ beautiful than before. But no, he couldn't think of…

All he could think of was: I hope Aang never sees her looking like this.

Was that jealousy? Was that possessiveness? Certainly, he'd felt something similar when dating Mai but nothing so… intense? And why couldn't he tear his eyes away? It sounded like a cheesy story, one in which he didn't want to be in!

…unless there was a happy ending.

And that only served to make him even more annoyed. What childish thoughts! And here she was, standing in front of him, _all his_ for a day. And he was thinking about the Avatar?

"It's… amazing," he managed to croak out, and blushed. He wanted to say, '_You're_ amazing". 

Katara blushed and bowed her head slightly, mumbling an embarrassed, "Thank-you." 

They paid for the clothes (much to Katara's chagrin, as the kimono she now wore was quite pricey) and hurried back to the restaurant, just as their table was cleared. Katara curled her finger around her hair, as Zuko had convinced her to leave it all down, at least for the dinner. 

The… date?

It had quite a romantic feel, only serving to make the mood more tense. There was blushing on both sides of the table as they fumbled through formalities and ordering and finally just _looking at each other_.

Loathe was she to say it, but Zuko was handsome without his hair done nicely, and a new outfit. But when he did try to look good… well, scar or not, he pulled it off! The clothes he wore now were much the same as what he usually wore, now that he had joined them, but somehow… more sophisticated? And it certainly brought out his build, something Aang would probably never have.

Aang? Where had that come from…?

Blushing, she looked down again. Could he tell that she was blushing? Oh, how obvious could she be? And after Aang telling her _that_ on the Day of Black Sun…

But it wasn't entirely her fault. It was Zuko's for… for… for being Zuko! That was it. Everything up to this point, including this point, was Zuko's fault. But she shouldn't hold a grudge!

They made idle conversation, talking about things that had happened recently that amused them and about things in the past. There was a great deal of things that were avoided, and both sensed this, but… it didn't hinder the mood much at all. It was simply a mutual understanding.

The food arrived, and Zuko was amused to find out that Katara needed his help after all. The Waterbender was entirely independent and though she would never admit it, somewhat proud. She was good at handling things herself and never needed more help than was necessary, especially not from _him_. 

It was late when they decided to leave the restaurant, and they were both surprised to see the sun setting slowly in the west. 

"I… had a good time," Zuko said, blushing fiercely. 

Katara nodded. "So did I. I was glad to have been to a place like that… and to have gone there with you." Looking up, she saw his blush and realized that her face must have looked similar.

Leaning down, he kissed her. And she kissed him. And there was kissing going on, and Sokka would have been outraged to know that his little sister was swapping tongue with the former Prince of the Fire Nation but…

She didn't really regret it, no matter how many lectures she might receive. It was a passionate kiss, and not something that was brought upon by the knowledge that either might die.

It was just… there. Like the setting sun, it simply happened, almost as if it was supposed to happen. And neither Zuko or Katara were ashamed when they pulled apart for air. 

The only problem was that they had forgotten to get the Tsungi Horn.


End file.
